a Mexican redknee tarantula, which he named Cronus, in his parliamentary office, for which he was criticised by parliamentary authorities in November 2016. In January 2018, it was reported that while managing director of fireplace firm Elgin & Hall in 2004, Williamson had an affair with a married colleague. He discussed the affair in an interview with the Daily Mail which he called a "dreadful mistake". The Sunday Telegraph reported that Williamson was subsequently the subject of a meeting with managers; he left the firm days later. Honours In May 2015, Williamson was sworn of Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, permitting use of the honorific title "The Right Honourable”. In the 2016 Resignation Honours List of David Cameron, Williamson was put forward for a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) "for political and public service". On 3 March 2022, Williamson was gazetted Knight Bachelor as part of the 2022 Special Honours for Political Service. The honour drew disapproval, with Labour's shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson describing Williamson's record as "disgraceful" and the Liberal Democrats calling the knighthood "an insult to every child, parent and teacher who struggled through COVID against the odds". Investiture of his knighthood was delayed pending an inquiry by Sue Gray into alleged COVID-19 lockdown breaches in Downing Street. References External links Official site Conservative Party South Staffordshire Conservative Association |- |- |- |- |- 1976 births English people of Irish descent Living people Alumni of the University of Bradford Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of North Yorkshire County Council Parliamentary Private Secretaries to the Prime Minister Politicians from Scarborough, North Yorkshire UK MPs 2010–2015 UK MPs 2015–2017 UK MPs 2017–2019 UK MPs 2019–present Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Politicians from Yorkshire Russia–United Kingdom relations British Secretaries of State Secretaries of State for Defence (UK) British Secretaries of State for Education Knights Bachelor Politicians awarded knighthoods